Nondescript “good girl” Miss Camellia Grenville only ever opens her mouth when forced to sing at her family’s musicales. That is, until the night she infiltrates the ton’s most scandalous masquerade ball on behalf of her sister, and finds herself in the arms—and the bed—of the one man she’d sworn to hate.Irresistibly arrogant and unapologetically sensuous, infamous rake Lord Wainwright always … always gets his way. When he accepts a wager to turn his rakish image respectable in just forty days, he never anticipates falling for an anonymous masked lover…or that discovering her identity would destroy them both.
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Great character development with well developed plot.
The power of fame… Are you really what they talk about out there?
Camillia Grenville has the voice of an angel; she is a great daughter and prefers to be surrounded by books and her family than to live with other people.
Her two younger sisters, Dahlia and Bryony, seem to have a more adventurous life.
But Camellia will always be the good daughter.
Exactly so, now, she knows from her mother that she will marry Mr. Irving Bost.
Camellia would have nothing against Mr Bost except that he is mature, respectable and will take her to live in Northumberland, Scotland, six days away from her family.
She does not want to marry him.
Although already considered a spinster, she always believed that she could choose her future husband. No longer.
As she looks at her siblings, Camellia sees the possibilities she has deprived herself of having.
His brother Heath is one who seems to always do what is not expected of him; Dahlia was already caught stealing (even though it was because of a noble cause) and was almost disinherited by her parents; Bryony, the youngest, had a solicitor for whom she nursed fodder and would not stand at home waiting for him to come to her. So tonight she would go to Lord Lambley’s infamous masquerade ball. But just before leaving, a missive from her solicitor arrives. Not wanting to miss the invitation, Bryony tells one of her sisters to go to the ball and then tell them how it went.
Camellia is the one who ends up going to the ball.
There the rules were severe. It couldn’t insist that any guest reveal their identity. The guests were called Lord and Lady X.
At the ball, Camellia is almost dragged by a more insistent Lord X, but she is saved by another, who takes her to breathe the garden air. Other than what she thought, he did not try to kiss her, but they began a conversation that made her feel safe.
Lord X was impressed with her and wanted her to return to the next ball for a week.
Lord Michael, Earl of Wainwright was handsome, with very light blond hair. Even his friends admitted it, which made him a target of women. His fame came before him, like the rake he was. He was rich and had a title.
But this sometimes became a burden, and it was worse because there’s a caricature of him, surrounded by women who admired him as a god.
He had so much more to offer! He was a connoisseur of Nature, Music and Astronomy. Why were people only talking about his romantic achievements?
Going to masquarade balls gave him a sense of freedom because he could be himself without having to live up to his friends’ expectations.
Michael did not imagine that he would be fascinated by a Lady X, with a beautiful sapphire dress and a princess posture. And he wanted to see her again, and again…
In real life, they could not be more enemies, since thanks to a comment from Michael, Dahlia’s charitable work was doomed to failure. Camellia would never forgive him for that.
But when fate makes them stay in the same environment, where the gossip rushes faster than a gazelle, even though she has a commitment to Mr Bost, Camellia found herself trapped.
Could the famous rake be Camellia’s intended husband, giving her the freedom she so badly needed?
I loved the characters, their strength, their fears and their frustrations.
Not everything is what it seems … people can surprise.
5 stars
Highly enjoyable 4 to 4 1/2 Star Read!
Michael and Camellia are featured in Lord of Pleasure. Find out how a wallflower/spinster finds her HEA.
Lord of Pleasure was part of the box set I purchased of Rogues to Riches by Erica Ridley. Though I wrote a comprehensive review of Rogues to Riches, I am providing this separate review of Lord of Pleasure for potential readers of the standalone book.
Light historical romance. Part of series. The arch of all is entertaining.
Wonderful characters, great peek into the Ton’s scandalous side of entertainment … loved the various twists the author wove into the plot. Great Read!
A fun read
I loved this book & love the series & can’t wait to read the next one! What a great love story – I had previously read the book & then got the audio version. Marian Hussey’s narration was wonderful & only enhanced Erica Ridley’s story of Lady & Lord X. The characters were so likable & you found yourself “behind the mask”! I highly recommend this to any historical romance fan!
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What an enjoyable book. I found it very hard to put down. The characters where well developed and I found myself feeling for their different situations. I enjoyed the suspense of not knowing what was going to happen next. I also found the support characters very engaging and look forward to reading their stories in future books. Overall I would strongly suggest someone reading this as it is an easy read but still has you on your toes waiting and wanting to get back to reading it.
Great start to a new series!
Steamy romance about the aristocracy and the importance of reputation.
Camellia’s continued single-hood is threatening her younger sisters’ prospects, so she agrees to an arranged marriage but is determined to make the most of her remaining month of freedom. Michael is tired of being considered the most scandalous rake in London, so he looks for opportunities where he can just be himself, without the pressure of expectations.
Their completely different circles intersect at a masquerade, and each is instantly smitten by the other’s honest, inner self even though the truth of their identities would prevent any form of permanent attachment.
I loved the well-developed characters and intricately-detailed conflict. Michael and Camellia are so great together, at their core, and reading how they navigated all the obstacles in their path made for a unique, exhilarating reading experience. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
2nd book in series, though each can be read alone, would recommend.
Erica Ridley is always a joy to read….get her books as soon as they come out! Have enjoyed them all.
Michael Rutland, Earl of Wainwright, has been named “the Lord of Pleasure” by London “society” and appears daily in the press “caricatures”. While he really does like people and enjoys life, he is not the shallow rake that he is portrayed to be. Camellia Grenville is the oldest of three sisters and has always tried to be the “good” child, never making trouble for her parents, but she does have dreams of her own that she has not shared even with her sisters, her best friends. At 26, she considers herself a spinster, until her mother suddenly announces that she is to be married to a much older man, who lives far away. She is devastated by the news, but will not “make waves”, as she realizes that younger sisters can not marry until she does. Her sisters do not agree with her and one of them hands her a ticket to a infamous masquerade ball. As she feels it is the last exciting thing she will do in her life, she agrees to go and there meets a man that first she enjoys his company and slowly after meeting him at each subsequent ball, falls for. But one of the rules of the ball is the masks stay on and no one can reveal identities. Michael, has fallen in love with his mysterious Mrs. X, but doesn’t know how to find her. To make matters worse, because of a misunderstanding the Grenville girls loath the Earl. How will they get their happy ending? The authors writes enchanting tales that draw the reader in and make it hard to put down the book.
Lord of Pleasure by Erica Ridley
Rogues to Riches #2
Miss Camellia Grenville has lived a circumspect life. She has been the “good” eldest sister and never caused a stir or stepped out of bounds. When her mother calls her in to announce she has been betrothed she is underwhelmed by the man who has been chosen for her and overwhelmed by the thought of marriage to said man. With only a little while to enjoy her freedom she attends a scandalous masquerade party that may change her life forever…if that is…Lord X can figure out which Lady X she is before it is too late. With musicales, social engagements and a whole lot going on you would think true love would thrive BUT when one does not know WHO is behind the mask it makes things much less straightforward, especially when the two falling in love don’t much care for one another when not wearing their masks.
This is a delightful story that explores the idea of living up to society’s and parental expectations versus figuring out what one wants for self and is willing to do to achieve personal goals. I enjoyed the journey made by Lord Wainright and Camellia and look forward to reading book three in this series when it is released.
Thank you to the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4 Stars
This is a very enjoyable romance about two people who have been forced to role play their entire lives. Can either of them learn to be open and honest? What would happen if they did?
Bravo, Erica Ridley. You’ve done it again.
This is an absolutely delightful and cheeky story where the hero just can’t live down his rakish past.
His unthoughtful words cause Camellia’s sister to lose a substantial amount of money that would have helped her with her home for young ladies giving them second chances in life and then he and Camellia have a word sparring tiff. So there are already bad vibes between them.
Then he saves Camellia from another’s unwanted attention at a masquerade ball and finds himself falling head over heels in love with her. He Is totally floored because he doesn’t know what to do about this and neither of them know who the other person really is as they are all masked at these balls.
This is such a super love story and it is told by Erica Ridley in her usual way, engrossing, endearing, enjoyable and easy to read and I heartily recommend it.
I received an advance copy of this book and this is my unbiased and honest review.
Wanting a bit of adventure before being married off to a much older stranger, Camellia Grenville accepts her sister’s encouragement to take her place at an exclusive masquerade ball that has a reputation of foregoing social norms while attendants retain anonymity. Unbeknownst to her, the man who enchants her is the rake Lord Wainwright. He attends the balls because it is the only place where he can be himself, without being on display dealing with people’s expectations. He doesn’t expect to encounter a woman who seems to like him for himself, without knowing of his finances or title. Waiting each week for the next three masquerades becomes increasingly difficult after meeting the stranger whose name he does not know. Outside of the events, he keeps being challenged and irritated by Camellia and her sisters, who know him as the rake he is reputed to be, and not the gentleman he hopes to become. I realized with this story that I find heroines more interesting when they show curiousity or buck conventionality in some way. This story started out slow, going on about how Camellia is a daughter who always does what is expected and who was unremarkable enough not to have suitors after her coming out. I would have liked to see more spirit and sparkling personality than how she was portrayed.
OMG, you will just love this story.
Erica has outdone herself with this one.
Gossip and society call Michael Rutland the Lord of Pleasure, for a reason. He loves women and he has earned the title. He doesn’t see the charm until his friends make a mockery out of his nickname. Micheal is out to prove to his friends, society, and himself that people can change.
Camilla Greenville is the good, dutiful, quiet, and shy daughter. She doesn’t cause issue since her brother and two sisters do. She dreams of becoming an Opera singer but knows it will never happen. That goes against society. When her mother informs her that she will be getting married, shocked is the least of what she is. However, as the dutiful daughter she reluctantly goes along. Until her sister convinces her to take her place at a masked ball.
There she is rescued by someone who is all she wants in a husband. She is treated like she matters. He in the other hand is treated like a regular person and is loving that his opinion is worth something. That his desires are obtainable. They meet once a week knowing it is only temporary. On the last night they get to meet, the two share what they have been hinting at and his identity is reveled.
Now the Lord of Pleasure, aka Michael Rutland, no longer wants just temporary, meaningless partners. He wants his Lady X, aka Camilla, which he has to find. From one setback to another he begins to lose hope until he posts an advertisement. Then he puts things together from his chats with Lady X and figures out who she is.
Now to finish would spoil the book so I will leave you with this.
OMG, what fun you will have reading this story
This is my favorite book this year! Erica Ridley has quickly become my absolute favorite author. (if you don’t follow her already, you should!) This book had some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming which made for an even more fun reading experience. This is not your run of the mill romance, the story line may be but the details are an original story all its own.
Michael Rutland, Earl of Wainwright, is known as a rake and cant stay out of the scandal sheets. So much that even when he doesn’t do anything; they just say well people flock to him etc. So he makes a wager to stay out for a month even though he knows he doesn’t plan on returning. He may be carefree and like to have fun but he also knows his responsibility and is actually very serious but feels like he must put on a “mask” for society.
Camellia is the dutiful daughter who has never stepped out of line, and hasn’t truly lived. She stays in the shadow and thinks that due to this her family will not make her leave or marry. But because she is the “perfect daughter” her parents marry her off without any say in the matter. So she now has one month to truly live before she must do her duty and marry an older man who’s estate is days away so she wont be able to see her sisters.
With the help of her sisters’ she goes to a masked ball and after being accosted then another masked gentleman steps in and rescues her. But with them only having the masked ball every week to “see” each other will it be enough to put everything on the line? Or will it be an “itch” she needs to “scratch” before she can do her duty to her family?
this story has everything you need; go read it now!! 🙂
Erica has written yet another well-crafted book. There is some suspension of belief that the characters wouldn’t recognize each other sooner, but I was willing to play along. A satisfying conclusion to a fun story.